


Flying Blind

by MundaneExMiscellanea



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 13:55:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4708412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MundaneExMiscellanea/pseuds/MundaneExMiscellanea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of Shepard's death shortly after the Battle of the Citadel, Ashley Williams and Liara T'Soni become close.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flying Blind

Ashley’s hug almost lifted Liara off the ground, prompting whistling and heckling from the rest of her disembarking unit.

“Don’t forget I know where you assholes bunk,” she shouted back. She tapped her rank insignia. “I see some jarheads that are going to be on KP next launch.” Moans and cursing merged into the ambient noise of the arrival area.

“They’re good kids,” she said, turning back to Liara’s bemused expression. “I just don’t want them to get the wrong idea about us.”

“No, of course not,” Liara said softly.

“What’s with the welcome wagon? I mean I’m thrilled to see you, but I know you hate to leave your work.”

“I’m always happy to set work aside when you visit,” Liara said, smiling. “But tonight is a special occasion. I didn’t want you to miss it.” She looked at Ashley’s Alliance off-duty fatigues. “I hope you packed something to wear.”

“What’s wrong with how I look?” Ashley said.

“Nothing. It’s just not very festive.”

The Presidium Commons were glowing. Humans and aliens thronged the lake in numbers she’d never seen before, dressed in their best, or what Ashley assumed was their best. Some wore what looked like tubes of blazing neon coiled around various parts of their bodies. The air itself seemed luminescent, and it took Ashley a moment to recognize the blurred ambient sounds as music, unlike anything she’d ever heard before. The monuments were brilliantly lit, and the lake itself seemed alive with color. People danced, various shops had been turned into performance spaces, vendors sold food by the walkways. It was a carnival.

“What’s going on?” Ashley said.

“We’re celebrating the discovery of the Citadel by the asari,” Liara said. “It’s the only time the Presidium ever gets like this.” She took Ashley’s arm. “Come on.”

“I guess the asari know how to throw a party,” Ashley said.

“It’s partly a political gesture. We celebrate the beginnings of galactic unity while simultaneously reminding the other races who arrived here first.” Liara looked up at the sky, streaking with shimmering vehicles. “Still, I’ve always enjoyed it. Later, we’ll be able to watch the arrival of the Reenactors’ Expeditionary Fleet. Always impressive.”

“It’s like alien Fat Tuesday,” Ashley said. “Where are the Creepers? I mean Keepers? And C-Sec must be having a fit. I wonder how they're set up for security. I could ask-”       

Liara pulled them up short.

“Ashley Williams,” Liara said. “C-Sec can handle whatever might happen. They’ve been doing this for centuries. You’re here to have fun. We’re going to have fun.”

Ashley felt very conscious of the weight of Liara’s hands on her shoulders. She smelled like fresh spun fairy floss, the sparks from her first sparkler, and something crisp and cool, like watermelon rind. Liara looked at her expectantly. Ashley nodded.

“Come on then,” Liara said, smiling. “Let’s find someplace with dancing.”

The music wasn’t like anything they played back home, on base, or even in the Citadel Wards, but Liara made sure she didn't make a fool of herself. Ashley picked up dances quickly, even weird alien ones, and no one seemed to care if she improvised. She watched Liara’s sinuous movements, the way she seemed to flow around a fixed point on the floor, and wondered if that was an asari thing, or just a Liara thing. Either way, it was fun to watch.

Soon, Ashley was leaning against a rail overlooking the lake, which was displaying these subsurface bursts of color, like underwater fireworks, in overlapping patterns she struggled to track. She turned away to accept the drink Liara brought her.

“How come I haven’t seen you dance before, T’soni?” she said.

“Well, we hardly had time when we were fighting geth, discovering the fate of the Protheans, and saving the galaxy,” Liara said, sipping her drink. “Also, you never asked.”

“Plus, Shepard hated to dance,” Ashley said.

“He was...remarkably bad at it for someone so graceful,” Liara agreed.

They looked out over the lake with its blooms of color. Ashley felt like the temperature ought to be warmer, more humid, but already her sweat was drying in the dry, warm air.

“I’ve always loved this part of the Presidium Commons,” Liara said. “It reminds me of home.”

“On...Thessia?”

Liara nodded. “I lived next to a beautiful park with my mother. I...dug holes in a not insignificant portion of it.”

“Ha! Looking for Protheans?”

“Nothing so specific,” Liara said, laughing. “Ruins, bones, artifacts, colorful insects...I was interested in whatever was down there.”

“You were a weird kid,” Ashley said.

“I suppose I was,” Liara said. “My mother became very skilled at channeling me in productive ways. She was very encouraging. And...kind.”

“I’m sorry,” Ashley said. “For the way things ended with her.”

“Shepard was very supportive, afterward. Relative to his usual manner, that is. Kaidan was very kind also. He was a good listener.” Liara closed her eyes. “After they died - my mother, Lieutenant Alenko, Commander Shepard - I felt so alone. More alone than I had ever felt in my life.”

“I’m sorry,” Ashley said. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, before. But I am now.”

“Yes,” Liara said, smiling softly. “You are.”

“Sorry, if I...I mean, I was so shitty to you,” Ashley said. “Back on the Normandy. I feel like I was always either ignoring you or giving you grief. You deserved better. You deserve to be treated better than that.”

“Thank you, Ashley,” Liara said. They leaned companionably at the railing, shoulders almost touching.

“How are your mother and sisters?” Liara asked. “Did Sarah pass her exams?”

“With flying colors,” Ashley said. “Us Williams girls are overachievers.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Liara enthused. “What will she do next? I admit I’m still unclear on how humans choose your careers, I mean with such short lifespans there must be so much pressure to choose correctly right away…”

“Liara…” Ashley said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, Goddess, I’m sorry,” Liara said.

“It’s fine, ” Ashley said. “You know, my dad had this old book he really loved. There is this bit he liked to quote, where this guy who lived for thousands of years gets killed in the stupidest way, by a falling piano or something. And when Death comes to collect him, he says ‘Well, I lived for 10,000 years, that’s pretty good, right?’ and Death says, ‘You got the same as everybody else: a lifetime.’”

“Profound,” Liara said.

“Ha, yeah,” Ashley said. “It was a very old comic book, actually. Everywhere my dad was ever stationed he’d take a book of old poetry and datapad loaded with vintage comics. Claimed it was because they’re easy to read on the can or in the bunk between shifts, but you should have heard him talk about them. I don’t think he talked about anything as enthusiastically, other than space. And his kids.”

“And I suppose you don’t care for them at all,” Liara said.

“Oh, no, not a bit,” Ashley said. “I’ve never gone in for any of the things my dad was into.” Liara smiled, then sobered.

“You must miss your family terribly,” Liara said.

“Oh, tons,” Ashley said. “But we all know that’s the job. Always coming home again; always shipping out.” She smiled wryly. “Sarah looks like she’s gonna try for colonial engineer on Sirona. But you never know. Us short-lived humans are unpredictable.”

“Ashley…” Liara said, smiling.

“I kid, I kid,” Ashley said. “Aw, you're blushing, that's so cute...what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, I just saw...someone I need to talk to,” Liara said. “Would you excuse me a moment?”

“Sure, of course,” Ashley said. She watched Liara go. A volus at a table across the promenade raised a glass of something shocking violet to her. She wondered if she was supposed to know him. He looked familiar, but with the environmental suits, she found volus hard to tell apart. She wondered if that was racist.

“Hey,” she said to a salarian sipping a cocktail nearby. “Is it racist to not be able to tell volus apart?”

“A little, yes,” the salarian said. “At the very least, it’s rude not to make an effort.”

“Ah, shit. Definitely...gonna work on that.” Ashley then realized simultaneously that her drink was empty and that she had called Liara cute.

“Shit, I need another drink,” Ashley said. She gave the salarian a wink. “Save me a dance later?”

“I don’t think so,” the salarian replied.

“Ouch,” Ashley said. “Okay, whatever, nerd.”

After half an hour of pacing the promenade and drinking, Liara had only sent a message saying “Delayed.” An hour of dancing and drinking followed, and Liara responded “Not now.” At some point, she cornered a guy from C-sec, worrying him with questions about security, about officer rotation, how had the defenses been upgraded since the Reaper attack what do you mean the Reaper was a hoax? until the salarian, whose name was Temlin, managed to draw her away. Liara’s response to her last message, “Back soon,” arrived while Ashley watched the Flotilla arrive by herself. As the celebrants moved on to various after parties, nightclubs, and embassy dinners, Ashley found herself more or less alone, haunting the last drinking booth on the promenade.

“Do you need help finding a place to sleep tonight, Lieutenant Williams?” Temlin asked.

“Are you hitting on me, Temlin?” Ashley said.

“Are you attempting to compensate for your racist remark about the volus?”

“Touche, Temlin,” Ashley said. “I’ll be okay. Thanks, though.”

“I’m a little concerned about your ability to walk. That was a large quantity of alcohol.”

“Pssh,” Ashley said. “You should have seen me when my CO died.”

Temlin was saved from having to find something to say by Liara’s arrival.

“By the Goddess, Ashley, I am so sorry,” Liara said.

“‘S’okay,” Ashley said. “Temlin thinks I’m drunk though.”

“I will leave you to your evening. Best wishes, Lieutenant Williams,” Temlin said. “Dr. T’soni.” Liara stared after him as he walked away.

“Is everything okay?” Ashley asked.

“Yes,” Liara said, absently, before snapping to the present. “Yes, of course. I’m so sorry I was away so long. It’s unforgivable.”

“Hey, Blue,” Ashley said. “I forgive you. I just feel like we lost a lot of hanging out time. You missed the Expeditionary Fleet.” She patted Liara’s cheek affectionately, then quickly shoved both hands into her pockets.

“Yes, well,” Liara said. “I was hoping I could convince you to stay on the Citadel for the rest of this week…”

“We're supposed to ship back out in two days…”

“...because I’m leaving the Citadel, and I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”

Ashley stared at her.

“I know it’s sudden,” Liara said. “And short notice, and I have treated you terribly tonight…”

“I’ll put in the request,” Ashley said. “I’ve banked enough leave, and Captain Marquez won’t say no to me. I'll catch up to them down the line. I’m sure those jarheads can keep body and soul together without me for a few days.”

“Thank you, Ashley,” Liara said. “It means so much to me.”

“Now,” Ashley said. “Please show me to my bunk, because I have just realized that I am indeed drunk.”

“Will your 'jarheads' mind if you come home to sleep with me?” Liara asked. “I mean, to sleep at my apartment with me, at, in separate...Goddess, you know what I mean.”

“They won’t miss me,” Ashley said, looping her arm through Liara’s. “Although as I recall, last time I slept over, I puked.”

“I hope it wasn’t the company,” Liara said.

“Not at all,” Ashley said, smiling.

 

Ashley spent the following day on the couch recovering from a stupendous hangover while Liara moved around her, packing and talking softly. Later in the afternoon, Ashley attempted to make a late lunch for them both but, once it became clear there wasn’t much Ashley recognized as food in Liara’s kitchen, she ordered delivery and brewed coffee, which Liara had fortunately developed a taste for.

The decision to go out dancing that night was Liara's, but it was Ashley who waited in the living room, leg bouncing with nervous energy.

“Liara, if we don’t hurry, they’ll run out of booze and good music,” Ashley called.

“That is not a realistic concern,” Liara called back. The echo of growing up with three sisters made Ashley smile, but in just a couple of days, Liara would be leaving the Citadel, probably for good. She stilled her leg and took a deep breath. She hadn’t realized how much she’d leaned on Liara since Shepard died. How much she’d come to depend on her being there.

Hearing Liara’s footsteps, she stood up from where she was leaning on the chair and straightened her skirt.  And stared.

Liara smoothed her dress, new and white, hugging her figure but flexible for dancing. Sleeveless, a little midriff baring, looking exposed. Ashley supposed that was the point.

“Whoa,” Ashley said, her eyes wide.

“I’m sorry,” Liara said. “It’s probably the wrong choice.”

“No, no, it’s not, it’s…” Ashley fumbled for words for a moment. “Liara, you’re a knockout.”

“You think so?” Liara smiled.

“Absolutely,” Ashley said. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Thank you, Ashley,” Liara said. “You look beautiful as well.”

“I know,” Ashley said. Liara laughed. “Come on, Baby Blue, let’s go break some hearts.”

Heads turned as they entered Flux. Ashley waved coyly at a group of soldiers on shore leave, then turned it into an obscene gesture.

“I know this music,” Ashley said, after they ordered drinks. “I think my dad danced to this music.”

“There’s an elderly human who DJ’s for us sometimes,” said the turian bartender. “He likes to play ‘classic dance trax.’ He is very insistent about the spelling of ‘trax’.”

“I like it,” Liara said, bobbing her head to the beat. The turian shook his head.

“Oh, oh shit,” Ashley said. “Come on, Liara, this is my jam.”

Liara wasn’t familiar with human music, so Ashley danced around her, shouting instructions and occasionally taking Liara’s hands or hips to show her just how to move. Then she'd throw her body into the music, shameless, singing along to the chorus, and pretending not to watch too closely as Liara did her best to match her, in energy if not in motion.

At some point two human men began dancing with them, and whenever they weren’t looking, Ashley made faces, adopting a look of total innocence whenever the men looked her way, until Liara laughed out loud, at which point Ashley stiff-armed her dance partner away and cut in. Liara looked into Ashley’s eyes and they smiled at each other. Ashley danced around her all night, sometimes twirling her gently by the hand, sometimes making her laugh, sometimes dancing close, her hands resting lightly on her hips.

Ashley was still thinking about those moments, about singing the lyrics of some old Earth dance song into Liara’s ear, when they sat down at the sushi restaurant on the Silversun Strip. Liara looked exhilarated, and a little drunk, with perspiration still beading on her forehead and a smile that only added to the warmth Ashley felt all over.

"I haven't danced like that in a long time," Ashley said. "Didn't know how much I needed it."

"You're...really good," Liara said. "I've never seen you dance this way before."

"You've never seen me dance to my people's music before. It's in our blood. You ought to see my family. Nobody's as excited for a good booty song as my mom. It's something to see."

“I imagine it is,” Liara said. “I’m actually a little surprised.”   

"Because of what Shepard liked to call my ‘religiosity’?"

"Is that the word?"

"No, not really," Ashley said. "More of a sarcastic...the point is my faith is more complicated than Shepard may have made it seem. He didn't have a lot of patience for God, or much use for prayer. He believed in people, whether human, Quarian, or asari. I...how did I get talking about Shepard?"

"It happens, sometimes," Liara said. "We were talking about dancing and faith."

"Dancing, right," Ashley said. "I mean, faith can be about dancing, too. The religious community my grandparents joined after the war saw dancing as a way of reaching Allah. Like, an especially joyful prayer."

"Is that what we were doing? Praying?"

"No," Ashley said, smiling at her plate. "That was just fun."

The server delivered their sushi, while they each smiled into their drinks.  

"I shouldn't tease you,” Liara said. “Ecstatic prayer in the form of dance is common to several galactic cultures I have studied. It's even part of certain asari rituals. It's rather fascinating."

"Are you studying me, Dr. T'soni?"

"Yes," Liara said. "I want to know everything about you."

Ashley leaned back in her seat. “Why?”

“Well,” Liara said, stammering slightly. “Well, you...you’re impressive. I don’t just mean physically, although you are. That is, I mean...you are strong in so many ways. You are a protector. You are loyal, and determined. The Alliance told you, and your family, that there was no place for you in the military, and still you joined, because nothing could keep you from the stars once you decided that’s where you belonged. Because you do belong here. With...us.”

“You know,” Ashley said, “Most people just call me stubborn.”

“Yes, well,” Liara said. “They don’t know you like I do.”

“And you’re saying you’d like to know more,” Ashley said. Liara mumbled something and hid behind her glass.

“Let me tell you something about impressive, Liara T’soni,” Ashley said, leaning forward intently. “You’re brilliant. Like stellar brilliant. And I’ve known dozens of marines who aren’t as brave. I trust you, I trust your focus, I trust that no matter what happens, you will have things under control.”

“I’m afraid I don’t feel very controlled tonight,” Liara said.

“Well, you’d never know it to look at you,” Ashley said. For the second time since she'd known her, Liara blushed.

“So, uh, do asari have temples?” Ashley asked, her own face feeling none too cool. She sucked some ice from her water. When Liara nodded, she asked “What are they like?”

“Grand and ancient,” Liara said. “Each temple varies, but the Temple of the Goddess on Thessia is elegant, full of both space and history. I could lose myself for hours there, which I suppose is the point. To lose oneself in our history and ancestors until we fall backward into the goddess at the beginning.”

“Sounds like quite an experience,” Ashley said.

“My mother thought it was more of a distraction,” Liara said. “But that place is, in a lot of ways, where I began. Where I started becoming the person that I am now. And the person I someday hope to be.”

“I’d love to see that,” Ashley said.

“The Great Temple?” Liara said.

“The person you’ll someday be,” Ashley said. “But sure, the Temple too. It’s not forbidden to short-lived humans, is it?”

“It's not forbidden,” Liara said, smiling. “You're never going to let that go, are you?.”

After dinner, they walked along the lake paths, Ashley commenting on everything and everyone they passed to make Liara laugh, but eventually they both grew quiet, smiling at their own private thoughts, until Ashley suggested they sit on a bench facing the Mass Relay monument. They looked up into the brilliant light of the nebula.

"You'd hardly know this place survived an attack by a Reaper, would you?" Ashley said.

 "Yes. The Council seems determined to pretend nothing ever happened."

   "But we know better,” Ashley said. She plucked at the hem of her dress, frowning. “And yet here we are. Pretending.”

“There’s a difference between pretending nothing happened,” Liara said, touching Ashley’s hand, “and moving on.”

Ashley said nothing, but slowly, without really thinking, her hand turned under Liara’s, until their fingers laced together. She squeezed gently, absorbed in the feeling of Liara’s hand, the alien texture of her skin, the softness, the strength. Then Ashley released her and stood up.

“I’m going to...keep walking, for a bit,” Ashley said, not looking at Liara. “It’s late, you probably have work to do.”

“Ashley...” She wasn't ready for the way Liara's voice made her heart lurch.

“It’s fine,” Ashley said, sharply. "Just going for a walk. Humans...marines sometimes just need to move.”

“Of...of course,” Liara said, and without another word, Ashley turned and walked away under the lights and past the oblivious keepers. She slid her hands down her hips before remembering that her dress didn't have any pockets, then wrapped her arms around herself, even though the Citadel was, as always, perfectly temperate.

 

Liara’s face appeared on the vid screen. She looked wide awake, even though it was certainly into the small hours of the morning.

“Ashley? Are you...you’re soaking wet, what happened?”

“I jumped in the lake.”

“Goddess. Why?”

“Can I come up?”

Liara looked away, as if thinking, and the screen went dark. Ashley almost turned away, but then the door slid open.

Momentum carried her, up the elevator, down the hall, all the way up to the moment she saw Liara framed in her doorway. 

Looking at the hastily-donned brightly colored shorts with the loose-fitting shirt accidentally tucked into one side, Ashley thought _This is what Liara looks like when she expects to be alone_.

“By the Goddess, Ashley, what were you thinking?”

“Just needed to clear my head,” Ashley said, quietly.

“Ash, I’m sor-”

Ashley stepped into her. Liara’s lips were soft and tasted sun-warm. The asari smell of her - bruised peach, jasmine tea, the moment before it rains, changing rapidly with her escalating mood - was dizzying. They stepped unsteadily back into the apartment, the door swishing shut behind Ashley as her heart beat so fast she felt light-headed. She managed to clasp Liara’s hands, finding them just as they bumped into a wall.

Liara pulled her hands free and wrapped them behind Ashley’s shoulders.

“Ashley…” she breathed. “Are you…?” And Ashley pulled her by her hips and Liara sighed into her mouth as their lips met again. She smelled like...she smelled like…

Liara’s hands ran up the back of her wet dress, seeking the zipper. Ashley turned her head and Liara kissed her neck, one hand in her damp hair, making Ash sigh against Liara’s ear.

“I’ve never been...,” she said, faltering as her hands drifted up Liara’s hips, untucking the shirt and tentatively moving her hands beneath it. She felt as though she were discovering the texture of skin for the first time. “I mean I've been attracted to women, but I've never…”

“Asari aren’t women,” Liara murmured in her ear. Her lips caressed Ashley’s ear, and Ashley moaned and squeezed her tightly. “Asari are asari. Not that I don’t know what you mean.” Her lips traveled along Ashley’s neck to her shoulder. “But I am different.” She paused, and Ashley stroked her sides gently, as their foreheads pressed together, listening to each other breathe, feeling each other’s warmth.

“I’ve never been with a human, you've never been with an asari,” Liara said. She stroked Ashley’s cheek with her thumb. “We’ll take it slowly. Like...like exploring ancient ruins.” Ashley snorted, and Liara quickly kissed her again. “If this is...if you want…”

Ashley nodded, shivering in Liara’s arms.

“Let’s get you warm,” Liara said, unzipping Ashley’s dress, and Ashley nodded again, letting Liara slide the dress off her arms and push it past her hips to the floor. Then Ashley couldn’t get her clothes off fast enough, and soon they toppled over in a pile of sodden clothing and a squeak from Liara that left them both suppressing giggles. She pulled Liara’s hand away from her smiling mouth and bent her lips to hers again.

She felt drunk, the way she stumbled after Liara to be showered and dried, the way she couldn’t stop touching her and pulling her into another embrace, falling to the floor, standing up again only to press against a wall, desperate for something closer than close.

Ashley gasped at the touch of Liara’s fingers between her legs.

“I thought this was your first time,” she said.

“I also said I’ve been studying you,” Liara said. Her fingers were as gentle and knowing as her kisses were bruising and guileless. “Goddess...you’re so wet.”

Ashley laughed breathlessly. “Yeah,” she said, then groaned. “Yeah, that’s something that happens.” She slid her fingers up behind Liara’s neck and gently but firmly stroked up, making Liara gasp.

“I’ve done a little studying of my own, Dr. T’soni,” Ashley said, stroking again. Liara gasped again, grabbing Ashley’s hips.

“Gently, Ash,” Liara whispered. “But don’t stop.”

Small blue plumes of energy were starting to lift from Liara’s skin where Ashley’s lips pressed. Ashley sucked gently on Liara’s neck and felt the sensation ripple across her body.

“What’s happening?”

“It’s something that happens when strong biotics are...intimate,” Liara murmured, almost purring as Ashley stroked her. “I’m enveloping you in a small mass effect field.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Ashley said. She held Liara tight and looked into her eyes. “Show me more.”

“I will,” Liara said, then slid her fingers between Ashley’s legs again and pressed her lips to her ear. “But first…” Ashley leaned her head back against the wall while Liara made her legs wobble with the touch of her fingertips. She still couldn’t believe this was happening, that she was leaning against a wall, wrapped in ribbons of luminous blue while an asari...asari....

Ashley covered her mouth after a particularly desperate sound escaped. Liara withdrew her fingers and, while Ashley watched, stuck them in her mouth.

“How am I doing?” she asked. Ashley didn’t even recognize her own laugh.

“I don’t think I believe this is your first time,” Ashley said. Liara’s lips curved into a sly smile, and Ashley met it aggressively, lips parted, while pressing Liara’s fingers more firmly between her legs.

“Just...just steady, just like that,” she said. She moaned softly into Liara’s mouth, then pressed her face into her neck, to muffle her sounds as she rocked her hips against her partner’s hand and immerse herself in her smell. It was sandalwood sharp up close, and somehow the biotic eddies flexing across her skin only made it more potent, almost spiced. She wanted to taste that smell. Liara’s biotics stroked her skin so she never felt untouched, and didn’t fully register Liara kissing her way down her body until Liara was on her knees, looking up at her with those brilliant blue eyes. She stroked the insides of her legs, pushing them a little further apart. Ashley kept one hand braced against the wall and gently stroked behind Liara’s neck again.

Liara gasped, almost a laugh, and then Ashley needed both hands against the wall to stay upright. She closed her eyes.

Everything she felt was impossible. Waves of biotic feedback rolled over her belly, her breasts, her shoulders, her lips. She felt this lightness, this quickness in her heart. She felt unreal and unraveled. She smelled citrus, wondered if it was Liara or the lake. She felt, for a moment, as if she could see Liara’s smell, the pheromones she emitted to express pleasure, and joy, and affection. They looked like Liara, shades of blue, spots of purple, and freckled.

Ashley’s mind blanked, and she made an inhuman sound, and two hands against the wall was no longer enough, as her legs trembled and shook and Liara gentled but didn’t stop, guiding Ashley to the floor with her hands bracing against her legs, until Ashley lay storm-tossed and twitching, touching Liara’s cheek and saying “Okay. Okay. No more” interrupted by shuddering “No more.”

She blinked up at Liara, who had crawled up to straddle her.

“How do you feel?” Liara asked. Ashley responded by pulling her face down to hers.

“You promised to show me more,” Ashley said, after a moment.

Liara sat up. She stroked Ashley’s hips, thoughtful.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” she asked, looking at Ashley uncertainly.

Ashley was genuinely offended.

Liara yelped as Ashley bumped her off her hips. She jumped to her feet and scooped Liara off the floor, throwing her over one shoulder.

“Bedroom?”

Liara squirmed slightly. “It’s straight ahead of you, Ash.”

Ashley smacked her ass lightly, making Liara yelp again. “No sass, Doctor.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Liara said. As Ashley started to walk she felt a, in her opinion, much harder and unwarranted smack. “Quick march.”

Liara’s bed didn’t even look slept in, and the room itself showed few personal touches. She set Liara down gently, feeling abruptly tender. She stroked Liara’s face and kissed her.

“You work too hard, Liara,” Ashley said.

“Just being with you relaxes me more than you can know, Ashley,” Liara said. She started to become nervous again. “I never...I hoped but I was afraid you…”

“Shhh,” Ashley said, pressing her lips to Liara’s. She moved her fingers in a slow circle on Liara’s neck. “Just show me what to do.”

“Mmm,” Liara said, closing her eyes at the sensation. “I thought you’d studied.”

“I may not have read past the first page,” Ashley said. “Or couple paragraphs.” She moved her hands between Liara’s thighs, nudging her further onto the bed and spreading her legs apart. “I’m more of a tactile, kinesthetic learner.”

“I see,” Liara said. "Fascinating."

“Just talk to me, nerd,” Ashley laughed. Liara smiled and rubbed her feet against Ashley’s back and sides, which made Ashley giggle, twitch, and scowl, in that order.

“Not ticklish,” she said.

“Duly noted,” Liara said. She reached between her legs. “Touch me here. Softly.” She sighed, breathlessly. “Soft, soft. Yes. Like that.” She lay her head back, smiling. “A little faster?” Ashley watched the blue biotic energy rippled across Liara’s arms, crossing her torso in waves until they reached Ashley’s fingertips, then encircling her arm in brilliant plumes of colored smoke. Impulsively Ashley bent her lips to Liara’s thigh, trying to catch the energy in her mouth, nipping at the sensitive blue skin, tasting a tang of sweat and exotic matter.

“You can use your mouth, if you like,” Liara said. “If it doesn’t seem too...oh…” She arched her back as Ashley quickly moved to replace her fingers with her lips and tongue. “Not too fast, but...yes. Just- just like that.” Liara moaned deeply, twisting her fingers in the sheets. She freed one hand to run through Ashley’s hair and guide her. “And then, _oh!_ ”

Ashley lifted her head as a tremor ran through Liara’s body and Liara was momentarily inarticulate. “Did you already…?”

Liara shook her head. “We don’t...not the same way you do. Slow down. Don’t stop.”

Ashley lowered her lips between Liara’s legs, listening and letting herself be guided by the sounds from Liara’s lips, which were occasionally words.

“I need more...you,” Liara said. “Up here.”

Ashley lifted her head and started to climb up onto the bed.

“No...well, yes, but…” Liara gestured vaguely in fatigued exasperation.

“Oh,” Ashley said. “Oh! Oh, yeah.”

This time Ashley didn’t even try to stay upright, just fell over to one side so they were both half-twisted to reach each other. Liara kept trying to wrap her legs around Ashley’s head and shoulders, and Ashley found it difficult to stay focused when all she wanted to do was rock against Liara’s face and she couldn’t even believe this was happening they were just going to have dinner and dance and oh she saw herself touching Liara’s hips on the dance floor bumping stray humans and turians away from her so she could be close to her date and oh my God it was a date and she’d known she’d known she was in trouble but she couldn’t and now Liara was inside of her but she didn’t care she didn’t care…

Liara nestled against her, and Ashley stroked the top of her head, which Liara assured her was soothing and not sexual. She couldn’t tell, now, where Liara’s scent began and her own scent of sweat and sex ended. A voice inside told her this was strange and impossible, as she pulled the asari closer to her, and Liara tried to wrap her legs around her own. Ashley winced when she bumped the fresh bruise on her thigh.

“I am so sorry,” Liara said. “I have never, ever bitten anyone before.”

“It’s going to leave a hell of a mark,” Ashley said. “Are you marking your territory, T’soni?” Liara laughed sleepily and burrowed more snuggly against her.

Ashley could feel herself starting to drift, which lately meant disturbing dreams - of Eden Prime, the Citadel attack, Shepard - that she would rather avoid.

"Do you have someplace for me to hang up my clothes to dry? They must be leaving puddles."

"I think that damage has already been done," Liara murmured. "Leave it until tomorrow."

"Mm," Ashley said, frowning out the open door to the bedroom. After a few minutes, she closed her eyes, tried to shut down.

Liara got up, kissing Ashley as she did so, and walked down the hall to where they had left their clothes. Watching her walk away and return, her beautiful blue body moving in and out of her vision, apparently unconscious to being watched, Ashley remembered again dancing close, and holding hands, for a moment, by the lake. She felt warm inside, in a way she felt for few people in the galaxy. She felt a thrill of fear at how powerfully attracted she was, at how attached. They had been through a lot. She surrendered to it.

She rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes, pretending she hadn't been watching and enjoying the sight of Liara moving. Liara slipped into bed behind her, wrapping her arms around her and fitting her body neatly against Ashley's own.

"Ash?"

"Hm."

"Why did you really jump in the lake?"

Ashley opened her eyes.

"Sometimes doing something I'm not supposed to do makes it easier to be brave." She closed her eyes again.

She felt Liara's lips brush her cheek.

"Me too," she said.

And in Liara's arms Ashley slept without dreams.

 

 


End file.
